You Pierce My Soul

Gr 9 Up–A fast-paced queer dystopian novel that will appeal to sci-fi lovers. In their authoritarian world, Zada knows that the Core’s algorithm will match her with her soulmate. That is the promise of the Heartsong match. A former classmate’s interference in a friend’s wedding sparks the beginnings of recognition that something is not right in their society. Zada’s own match seems completely wrong for her. In an attempt to discover the forces that influence their matches and the truth about the world outside of their city, Zada finds her own love story. This novel has twists and turns like to Jennifer Lynn Barnes’s The Inheritance Games and the classic dystopian pull of Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale. The novel is well-paced and inventive. While some aspects of this concept are dark, the book balances these with a sapphic love story. The love interest is a rich and mysterious girl who is not particularly complex, and it is obvious to readers that the feelings are requited, even when Zada doesn’t see it. However, this knowledge will not slow down teens, who will fully believe in this romance and root for the characters’ happily ever after. Some background characters are not well fleshed out, but they all serve a purpose in the greater storyline. This is a complex narrative that is woven together incredibly well, and it has very little extraneous information. The ending will be a relief, as it ties together all the readers’ questions. Race of the characters is not mentioned.